Lead dispensers



Sept 16, 1958 w. E. DANJczEK 2,852,160

LEAD DISPENSERS 2 Sheets-Sheetl l Filed June 25, 1956 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY WILLIAM E. DAN JCZEK Sept. 16, 1958 LEAD DISPENSERS Filed June25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F/G. a

F/G /3 3 l /33 /Q \/2 k INVENTOR.

WILLIAM E. DANJCZEK ATTORNEY w. E. DANJczl-:K 2,852,160 1 United StatesPatent 7 LEAD DISPENSERS William E. Danjczek, Easton, Pa., assignor toL. & C. Hardtmuth, Inc., Bloomsbury, N. J., a corporation of New JerseyApplication `inne 25, 1956, Serial No. 593,705

8 Claims. (Cl. 221199) This invention relates to dispensing devices ingeneral and particularly to a holder for graphite drafting leadsprovided with means for moving such leads, one by one, into position atwhich they can be inserted directly into a holder without therequirement of handling them.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of a simple,inexpensive combination lead holder and lead dispenser adapted toreceive a plurality of drafting leads, and which dispenser is equippedwith an ejector for propelling one of the leads at a time for a distanceso that a portion of the lead will extend from the dispenser, andwherein a yieldable lead stop or a gate is provided at one end of thedispenser for normally holding the leads therewithin, and which gate isadapted for movement to its opening position by a lead being eitherejected from the dispenser or injected thereinto.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a lead dispenser`composed of a box-like, lead-holding case having side walls and endwalls, and within which walls fits a detachable and reversible closureor cover, and wherein from one face of the cover extend spacing meanswhich serve for increasing the distance between the cover and the bottomof the case.

The foregoing and numerous other objects and important advantages of thepresent invention will become more fully apparent from the ensuingdescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the device in accordance with thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section therethrough along approximately lines2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken along lines 3 3 of Fig.l;

Fig. 4 is a similar enlarged transverse section taken along lines 4-4 ofFig. l;

Fig. 5 is a transverse cross section taken approximately along lines 5 5of Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the cover for the device;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the cover;

Fig. 8 is a plan View of the device with the cover removed and holding aplurality of substantially thin leads, and illustrating the manner inwhich one of the leads is being ejected;

Fig. 9 is a plan View of the device similar to that shown in Fig. S butprovided with a cover and containing a lesser number of larger leads;

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal cross section through the device approximatelyalong lines 1li-10 of Fig. 9-

Fig. l1 is a side elevation of the case as seen when looking at the topof Fig. 8;

Fig. l2 is a side elevation of thejcase seen from the bottom of Fig. 8;j

Fig. 13 is a section taken approximately along lines 13-13 of Fig. 9;and

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the lead ejector.

In the drawings numeral 10 indicates an elongated, box-like, open-top,lead-receiving case, having side walls 11 and 12 and end walls 13 and14. Adjacent to wall 13 is a cover rest 15 and adjacent to wall 14 isanother cover rest 16. Both of these rests are lower than end walls 13and 14.

2,852,160 Patented Sept. 16, 1958 ICC Both side walls 11 and 12 areprovided with longitudinal recesses 17 and 18, respectively, as clearlyseen in Figs. 12 and 11. Recess 18 of side wall 12 is of lesser depththan recess 17 of s ide wall 11. At approximately the middle of sidewall 11 there is a raised step formation 19, the upper face of which isdisposed in the same plane as the upper face of recess 18 in side Wall12. In addition recess 17 has a sub-recess 2t) at a lower level than theupper face of recess 17, the purpose of which subrecess shall beexplained presently.

Both end walls 13 and 14 have shallow, short recesses 13' and 1d attheir top edges. These recesses serve as guides for the attachment ofclosing tapes, as will be presently evident. ln cover rest 15 next toend wall 13 is a cavity in which is operatively mounted a lead stop orgate element 21 in the shape of a disc having a stem 21 engaged by aspring 22, the latter normally urging element 21 toward the inner faceof side wall 11, as clearly seen in Figs. 8 and 9. At that positionelement 21 prevents lead contained in the case from voluntarily oraccidentally leaving the latter. However, when a lead is being eitherejected from or injected into the case, lead Stop 21 will yield topermit the lead to pass.

As will be seen in Figs. l, 8 and 9, end wall 13 does not extend fullyto side wall 11, whereby a suiiiciently large space or recess v23 isprovided between these two walls to permit passage therethrough of leadbeing either ejected from or inserted into the case. At end wall 14cover rest 16 forms an enclosure whichis distanced from wall 11 so thata recess 24 is formed. Cover rest 16 is provided with vertical lugs 16for supporting the extreme edge of the cover.

Recess 24 between cover rest 16 and side wall 11 is adapted toaccommodate a movable ejector 25 which is operable from without the caseand slides along the recessedportion of wall 11. Sub recess 20 in recess17 facilitates the attachment of the ejector to wall 11. As seen inFigs. 1, 8, 9 and 14 this ejector is provided with a depression or notch25 adapted for engaging the pointed end of a lead as the ejector ismoved toward lead stop 21.

The cover 26 for the case is best illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, and iscomposed of narrow and wider portions 27 and 28, respectively. Narrowportion 27 is adapted to t between walls 11 and 12 at the left halfofthe case, as shown in Figs. l, 3 and 9, whereas wider portion 28 isadapted to extend with its edges over the side walls,

that is over the recesses 17 and 18. The end of wider I portion 28 isrecessed as at 29 to t between wall elements 3G at the right hand end ofthe case and forming the right hand termini of recesses 17 and 18.

From one face of the cover there extend two pairs of parallel spacingelements 31 and 32 at the cover ends and central spacing elements 33,all of the spacing elements being of a uniform height. When cover 26 isplaced with these spacing elements'directed downwardly so that they restagainst cover supports 15 and 16, as seen in Figs. l() and 13, thedistance between the underface of the cover and the case bottom isgreater than it would f be when the spacing elements point upwardly asillustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. It is to be noted that the centralspacing means 33 will support the cover at the center as they abut withthe upper face of recess 18 and with the upper face of raised stepformation 19 at the center of the case adjacent to the left hand end ofrecess 17. The position of the cover with the spacing elements directeddownwardly is intended to provide suflicient space for leads of largediameters as seen in Figs. 9, 10 and 13. Since only six leads of thelarge diameter can be placed into the case, the remaining space betweenwall 12 and the uppermost lead is filled with a suitable spacer 34 whichis removable. Obviously, the case can hold twelve leads of a smalldiameter, as clearly seen in Fig. 4,

in which event cover 26 rests with its smooth face against end supports1S and 16 while spacing elements 31, 32 and 33`vpoint upwardly.

When the case is to be closed, the narrow portion of cover 26 ispositioned within the left wall ends and the recessed end of the widercover portion is placed'b'etween wall'elements 30. Now the cover issecured to the case by means of pressure-sensitive tapes' indicated at35' in Fig. 1. This is done by iirst attaching one end ofy the tapes tothe cover end so that they pass over recesses 13.' and 14 provided atthe upper edge of end walls 13 and 14, respectively, whereupon the tapesareswung against thebottom of the case and there are attached. It ispreferred that the tape ends which are placed on top of the cover bearindices to denote the degree of leads placed into the case. It is alsopreferred to secure the upper end of spring 22 of lead stop element 21to the upper end of the recess provided for the spring in cover rest 15.

Operation The filling of the case is a simple procedure. The leads areplaced with their pointed ends in the direction towards cover rest 16,while the blunt ends of the leads face cover rest 15. When the case isfilled the cover is placed over it. When twelve thin leads 35 areemployed, as shown in Figs. 4 and 8, the smooth cover face reposes overrests 1S'and 16 and spacers 31, 32 and 33 extend upwardly from thecover. When, on the other hand, large diameter leads 36'are used, asshown in Figs. 9 and 13, irst compensating spacer 34 is placed againstside wall 12, whereupon the leads are again positioned with theirpointed ends towards cover rest 16. Now the cover is placed with itsspacing means 31, 32 and 33 in downward position. Obviously in eitherevent it is essential that before filling the case with leads, ejector2S is secured to the recessed portion of side wall 11. This is done bysimply placing the ejector against sub-recess 20; thereupon positioningledge 25 (see Fig. 14) against the case bottom and then pushing head 125over the upper face of sub-recess 20 (see Fig. 12); Now the ejector ismoved into the position shown in Fig. 9, that is, with head`125 withinrecess 24, whereupon the filling of the case with leads is effected. Nowthe cover is attached to the case by means of tapes 35.

To eject one lead at a time, ejector 25,is moved in-the directiontowards end wall 13. The pointed end of the leadto be ejected is engagedby recess 2S' provided in head 125 of the ejector. As the leadprogresses it lifts lead stop 21'and the lead passes out of the casethrough recess'23 between'end'wall 13 and side wall 11. When asuliicientportion' of the lead extends from the case it can be directlygipped by the collet of the lead holder 37, as shown'in Fig. 8;' Thusthe user of the device need not touchalead ejected from the case.

While in the foregoing a specific construction of the device isdescribed in connection with the drawings, it is quite obvious that inactual production changes and improvements may be' required, suchchangesv and improvements being deemed to reside within'the scope of thepresent invention, as defined in the annexed claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a lead holder and lead dispenser, the combination with anelongated, box-like, open-top, lead-receiving case having partlyrecessed side and eindwallsmand cover rests adjacent to and lower thanboth of' said end walls, of a removable and reversible cover having anarrower and a wider portion placed overrand adapted to close the opentop of the case and fitting within corresponding portions of the casewalls andsupported by said cover rests, the cover rest adjacent to oneof the -end walls as well'asthat one end wall being spaced from one ofthe side Walls to provide a passage for a lead, a lead ejector CII restadjacent to that one end wall and forming a normally closed gate forsaid passage and being operable to its opening position'by'leadseitherejectedr from or injected into the case, the cover rest: adjacent tothat other end wall being spaced from that one side wall to provide arecess for receiving said leadvr ejector in its inoperative position.

2. Ina lead holder according to claim l, and wherein the recesses of thepartly recessed side walls being longitudinal andof 'substantially anequal'length and serving for the reception of the wider cover portion,the recess in that one side wall being deeper than the recess in theother side Wa1l,-said ejector beingiope-rative along said deeper recessand beneath the wide cover portion, said deeper recess terminating in araised step formation located substantially midway of that one side Walland serving as stop for said ejector, the upper face of that stepformation andthe upper face of the recess in that other side wall beingdisposed in substantially the same tachnient thereto of the leadejector.

operatively associated `with and movable along the re l 3. In a leadholder according to claim 2, and wherein said lead stop constitutes aspring-loaded element normally bearing against the inner face of thatone side wall.

4. Ina leadholder according to claim 3, and wherein one endof thelead'ejector has a notch for engaging the end'of a lead preparatory toejecting the lead from the case.

5'. In a lead holder according to Claim 2, and wherein the longitudinalrecesses in the side walls extend from substantially their center toaligned points slightly distanced from said other end wall.

6. In a lead holder according to claim 5, and wherein the narrowandwider cover portions extend from substantially the center of the sidewalls to and abutting with the end walls, the wider cover portionextending over the longitudinal recesses in the side walls and having areduced end corresponding in width to that of the narrow cover portion.

7. In a lead holder according to claim 2, and wherein spacing meansproject from one face of the cover at both its ends and substantially atits center to facilitate increasing the distance between the cover andthe case bottom by placing the spacing means at the ends of the coveragainst the cover rests adjacent to the end walls, and the centerspacing means against the upper face of thatstep`formation at that oneside wall and against the upper edge of the longitudinal recess in saidother side wall.

8. In a lead holder according to claim 7, and wherein the recessesin'the end walls are located centrally, and wherein the spacing means atthe ends of the cover constitute pairs of parallel bars, the distancebetweenv the bars substantially corresponding to the length of saidrecesses in the end walls, these recesses and areas between the spacingbars serving as guides for fastening means adapted to secure the coverin closing position against the case when the cover is placed over thecase with its spacing means projecting upwardly.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 610,227Carrothers Sept. 6, 1898 839,745 Fox Dec. 25, 1906 1,691,831 Slay Nov.13, 1928 1,741,295 Haberer Dec. 31, 1929 1,981,467 Radtke Nov. 20, 19342,105,424 Kahn Ian. ll, 1938 2,531,300 Schloer Nov. 2l, 1950 2,707,066Stegeman Apr. 26, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS ,243,422 Switzerland Dec. 16,1946

